Sheriff's Office

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement, jail operations, court security, civil process, coroner services, and emergency coordination. This article explains which office handles common requests, how to access official reporting and records systems, what information to prepare for an inmate search or jail visit, and which requirements apply to civil documents, concealed carry applications, and employee complaints.

Alameda County Sheriff's Office Services

The Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities that extend beyond patrol. It operates Santa Rita Jail, the Coroner's Bureau, a criminalistics laboratory, and the County Office of Emergency Services. It also provides security for the Superior Courts and performs civil process, including specified court-ordered levies and evictions.

Patrol and investigative services cover the unincorporated areas of Alameda County. Through contractual agreements, the agency also provides services to the City of Dublin, Oakland International Airport, Highland Hospital, Social Services, and the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. These responsibilities make the location and type of request important when choosing an office.

The official Alameda County Sheriff's Office website provides access to police reporting, inmate searches, service information, and agency notices. The administrative office is one part of the agency; jail visits, civil documents, and personnel complaints have separate procedures and responsible units.

Emergency and Non-Emergency Assistance

Call 911 for emergencies or a crime in progress. The Sheriff's Office supports text-to-911 and advises callers to call if they can and text if they cannot. Emergency Services Dispatch receives emergency and non-emergency calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Emergency Services Dispatch information page explains its service coverage. Dispatch serves unincorporated county communities and the City of Dublin, along with several agencies through contract arrangements. References to areas such as Hayward, San Leandro, Pleasanton, and Livermore include the unincorporated areas identified by the agency; they should not be read as a statement that the Sheriff provides municipal patrol throughout every named city.

For non-emergency assistance or crime reporting that does not require an emergency response, contact the Sheriff's Office non-emergency line through Emergency Services Dispatch. Its contact information appears in the office list at the end of this article.

Limits of the Website Contact Form

The general website contact form is intended for non-urgent website questions, technical issues, general information requests, and feedback. It is not monitored continuously and may not receive an immediate response.

Do not use that form to report crimes, request investigative or case updates, submit legal documents, serve legal process, or send time-sensitive information. A message sent through a general contact form does not replace a call to dispatch or a submission through the service-specific procedure.

The form requires a subject and message, with limits of 200 characters for the subject and 500 characters for the message. It also includes contact-information fields and a verification step. Keep requests within its stated purpose rather than using it as a general intake system for all Sheriff's Office business.

Police Reports and Public Records

The Sheriff's Office separates filing a police report from requesting a copy of a report that already exists. Its police report service page offers a “Request a Police Report” option and a separate “File a Police Report” option.

Choose the option that matches the task. Filing concerns an incident being reported; requesting a copy concerns an existing report. Neither function should be confused with the general website contact form, and an emergency should be reported through emergency dispatch.

Requests for Agency Documents

The Sheriff's Office public records portal allows users to communicate with the agency about documents they need. Previous requests and responsive documents are available through the portal, so reviewing those materials may resolve a request without submitting a new one.

For a new request, use the portal's “Make Request” function. Describe the documents sought so the agency can understand the request. Keep the distinction between obtaining agency documents and reporting an incident: a public records request is a document request, not a request for immediate law enforcement assistance.

Inmate Searches and Custody Information

The official inmate locator displays the most recent information known to the Sheriff's Office about arrested or in-custody individuals. Information may change as a person moves through the judicial process. JavaScript must be enabled in a supported browser to use the search.

The locator requires at least one of two search methods: enter the person's PFN, or enter both the first and last names. The form also provides fields for middle name, sex, and date of birth. A phonetic-search checkbox is available when the spelling of the first or last name is uncertain.

Complete the human-verification step before selecting “Find Inmate.” A name search requires both the first and last names; entering only one does not satisfy the stated search instructions. The PFN is an identifier used by the locator and jail visiting process. It should not be substituted for another system's requested identifier simply because both relate to the same person.

Missing Results and Pending Release

Some names of individuals arrested and booked by Alameda County agencies may be excluded from the locator under applicable government-record exemptions. If a name does not appear, the Sheriff's Office directs users to contact the local jurisdiction for information. An unsuccessful search alone does not establish that a person was never arrested or booked.

“Pending Release” means an individual has begun the administrative process needed to facilitate release. The locator describes this status for individuals housed at Santa Rita Jail and Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility. The process may take several hours, and another legal holding authority discovered during that process may prevent release.

Do not treat pending release as confirmation that someone has already left custody. It describes a process in progress rather than a completed release.

Santa Rita Jail Visiting Requirements

All Santa Rita Jail visits are by appointment. Visitors may schedule online up to three days in advance, and the reservation system is available 24 hours a day. Same-day appointments are not given.

The Santa Rita Jail visiting page provides access to reservation information and the visiting schedule. Each adult visitor age 18 or older must register to make a visiting appointment. If a registered visitor forgets a username or password, the reservation system's “Help and Support” function provides retrieval instructions.

Registration Information and Identification

Adult registration requires the following visitor information:

Name and residential address; post office boxes are not acceptable.
Telephone number and email address.
Date of birth.
Driver's license number.

Making an appointment also requires the inmate's name, PFN, and date of birth. Have those details ready before scheduling. False information or fraudulent identification used to obtain a reservation can result in permanent revocation of visiting privileges.

Visitors must present acceptable identification to the deputy during lobby screening. Accepted identification includes a valid driver's license, California identification card, state identification card, passport, Matriculate Consulate card, or another government-issued identification document showing a photograph, physical characteristics, and signature.

Visitors younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. A legal guardian must provide documentation establishing guardianship.

Prior Custody and Approval Restrictions

A person confined in the Alameda County Jail System within the preceding six months must obtain prior written or verbal authorization from the Commanding Officer or a designee before visiting. Other restrictions require written permission from the Commanding Officer.

Those written-permission requirements include a previous felony conviction involving violence or bringing contraband into a jail, a nonviolent felony conviction within the preceding three years, or a previous felony conviction followed by confinement in a California state prison. Visitors currently on probation following a felony or misdemeanor conviction, or on parole, also need written permission.

A reservation does not remove these approval requirements. Visitors subject to a restriction should address the required authorization before their planned visit.

Screening, Clothing, and Personal Items

Visitors, their possessions, and vehicles parked on jail grounds are subject to search. Entry constitutes consent to search. Follow staff directions during metal-detector screening and proceed directly to the assigned visiting area.

Cell phones, laptops, cameras, recording equipment, purses, bags, briefcases, and baby strollers or carriers cannot be brought into visiting areas. Personal items may be left at home, secured in a vehicle, or placed in public lobby lockers. Items left behind after visiting may be removed and disposed of. Visitors may bring one diaper and one baby bottle into the visiting area.

Clothing must meet the jail's institutional dress standards, with lobby staff making the final determination. Prohibited items include revealing or sheer clothing, visible undergarments, sleeveless or strapless clothing, bare-midriff clothing, pajamas, and clothing displaying offensive language or drawings. Gang-related clothing or displayed gang- or hate-related body art is also prohibited. Shorts and skirts cannot expose more than mid-thigh, including through garment slits.

Nonremovable metal buckles, metal bib overalls, and steel-toed footwear are prohibited. Excessive jewelry can also interfere with metal-detector clearance. Visitors must wear shoes or sandals.

Visits last 30 minutes, and inmates are limited to one visit per day. Physical contact is prohibited. Food and drinks are not permitted in visiting areas, apart from the allowed baby bottle. An inmate may refuse a visitor, and misconduct may end a visit or lead to suspension or revocation of visiting privileges.

Accessibility and Video Visit Rules

Visitors with disabilities receive the same visiting privileges as other visitors, and visiting rooms are equipped to accommodate them. Requests for assistance, including help with the entrance ramp, should be made as early as possible through the jail lobby. A visitor needing assistance during a visit should alert a deputy.

Video visiting is available from compatible devices at home and through jail lobby kiosks. All video visits are recorded and subject to monitoring by Sheriff's Office personnel. Participation constitutes consent to that recording and monitoring.

Both the inmate and visitor must keep their faces within camera view. Taking photographs or conducting three-way video calls may cause termination of the session. Dress and conduct restrictions apply to adults and children, and visitors under 18 must have a parent or guardian present.

Separate approval restrictions apply to video visits. People who served time in the California state prison system but are no longer on parole or PRCS need prior written approval from the Jail Commander. Those currently on probation, parole, or PRCS need prior written approval from both the Jail Commander and their parole or probation officer.

Civil Process and Court Documents

The Civil Section's service instructions explain which documents and levies the Sheriff handles. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with closures on weekends and holidays.

Documents must be accompanied by a letter of instruction signed and dated by the attorney of record, or by the plaintiff if there is no attorney. The instructions must identify the person to be served and the address where service is to occur. A wage levy requires an Application for Earnings Withholding Order instead of a letter of instruction.

For each person to be served, provide a copy of the document, front and back, plus an additional copy for the Sheriff's file. Levies and evictions require the original writ of execution. Additional copies are needed when requesting more than one levy.

Service Limits and Advance Fees

The Civil Section handles specified matters such as civil bench warrants, evictions under a writ of possession of real property, certain property seizures, keeper levies, and other listed enforcement documents. It does not routinely serve every type of civil document.

Its instructions identify documents it will not serve unless the requester is incarcerated or has a certified court fee waiver. These include summonses and complaints, small-claims documents, bank levies, and most earnings withholding orders. Earnings withholding orders for federal or U.S. Postal employees are treated separately. Confirm the document category before submitting a packet.

All documents require the appropriate fee or a certified court-ordered fee waiver. Fees are charged per service, so two defendants require two services even when they share an address. Fees must be paid before service is performed, and the Sheriff is entitled to fees even if service is unsuccessful.

The listed eviction fee for a writ of possession of real property is $180; reposting an eviction notice is $50. Civil bench warrants, which must come directly from the court, are $175. Some property-related services require deposits or additional costs, so a listed starting amount should not be treated as the total cost for every enforcement action.

Civil Status and Fund Disbursement

Civil Section status inquiries are not provided by telephone. The section directs users to submit status inquiries by fax, including questions about money or answers received from garnishments and levies. The fax number appears on its service page.

The section states that its policy is to disburse levy money every 21 days. It also identifies a $15 assessment collected from the judgment debtor for each disbursement paid to a judgment creditor. These civil-enforcement funds are separate from jail-related matters and other agency transactions.

The Sheriff's Office cannot provide personal or legal advice or answer questions that are legal in nature. Its civil instructions describe agency submission and service requirements.

Concealed Carry License Applications

The concealed carry weapon license page distinguishes new applications from renewals and identifies the responsible licensing agency by residence. The Sheriff's Office accepts new applications from residents of unincorporated Alameda County, Dublin, and Oakland under the arrangements described on that page.

Effective August 1, 2024, new applicants living in Albany, Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, or Union City are directed to their city police department. The Sheriff's Office continues processing previously submitted applications from those cities, except applications received after that date.

For Oakland residents, the page explains that the Sheriff accepts new applications while Oakland is not accepting or processing them. Once a resident's city accepts new applications, the applicant may withdraw the Sheriff's Office application and apply with the city.

If the Sheriff's Office originally issued a license, the holder may elect to renew through the Sheriff or apply through the police department of the city where they reside. This renewal option differs from the routing instructions for a new applicant.

Read the application requirements before submitting and provide truthful information. The agency states that the good-cause requirement is no longer required or considered. It also advises that applicant information may be requested under the California Public Records Act and is not exempt from disclosure except where the law allows.

Anonymous Tips and Employee Complaints

The anonymous tip form is provided for information related to “ACSO Most Wanted.” An email address is optional unless the person submitting the tip wants law enforcement personnel to contact them. The required tip field allows up to 2,000 characters, and submission includes a verification step.

Tips may not be read immediately. Use emergency dispatch for an emergency or a crime in progress rather than relying on a web submission.

Complaints About Sheriff's Office Personnel

The citizen complaint procedure provides three submission methods: in person at a Sheriff's duty station within the county, by telephone to Internal Affairs, or by mailing a letter to Internal Affairs. The office handles complaint-process questions and status inquiries Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Provide the employee's name, badge number, and car number when available and appropriate. If those details are unknown, describe what happened and include the incident's date, time, and location. Investigators may request witness names, record an interview, or photograph injuries connected to the complaint.

A disagreement about the validity of a traffic citation belongs with the court having jurisdiction. Complaints about jail procedures should go to jail administration through the appropriate channels.

A complaint may be anonymous, but an anonymous complainant cannot be informed of the result. When the complainant identifies themselves, the agency advises them of the disposition. Findings may be unfounded, not sustained, exonerated, or sustained. A complaint case number belongs to that investigation and should not be confused with an inmate PFN or another agency record identifier.

Sheriff Impersonation Payment Scams

The Sheriff's Office warns that scammers impersonate deputies using spoofed local telephone numbers and the names of real employees. One described scam claims that a person at Santa Rita Jail can be released early if a family member pays for an electronic ankle monitor.

The agency states that it will never call, text, or email to demand payment for releases, warrants, missed court appearances, or any law enforcement matter. A displayed local number or familiar employee name does not establish that a payment demand is authentic. This warning is separate from documented Civil Section fees submitted through the agency's civil-service procedure.

Relevant Sheriff's Offices and Facilities

Administrative Office
1401 Lakeside Drive, 12th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612-4305
Phone: (510) 272-6878

Emergency Services Dispatch
2000 150th Ave, San Leandro, CA 94578
Phone: (510) 667-7721

Eden Township Substation
15001 Foothill Boulevard, San Leandro, CA 94578
Phone: (510) 667-7721

Dublin Police Services
6361 Clark Avenue, Dublin, CA 94568
Phone: (925) 833-6670

Santa Rita Jail
5325 Broder Blvd, Dublin, CA 94568
Phone: (925) 551-6500

Civil Section
1225 Fallon Street, Room 104, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 272-6910

Bailiffs Section
1225 Fallon St, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 272-6906

Internal Affairs
3 Park Place, 3rd Floor, Dublin, CA 94568
Phone: (510) 208-9800

Concealed Carry Weapon License — Internal Affairs
3 Park Place, 3rd Floor, Dublin, CA 94568
Phone: (510) 208-9890

Coroner's Bureau
2901 Peralta Oaks Ct, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94605
Phone: (510) 382-3000

Office of Emergency Services
4985 Broder Blvd, Dublin, CA 94568
Phone: (925) 803-7800

Airport Police Services
8980 Earhart Road, Oakland, CA 94621
Phone: (510) 563-2940

Highland Hospital Police Services
1411 East 31st Street, Oakland, CA 94606
Phone: (510) 437-4100

Transit
2425 East 12th Street, Oakland, CA 94601
Phone: (510) 268-7905

Contract Law Enforcement Services
2425 East 12th Street, Oakland, CA 94601
Phone: (510) 268-7931

Sheriff's Office FAQs

Can someone get married at Santa Rita Jail?

Yes. The Sheriff's Office allows in-custody marriages at Santa Rita Jail under its detention policies. The couple and family must arrange the marriage license, required paperwork, and minister. Jail chaplains do not perform inmate marriages. If either person cannot appear to obtain the marriage license, an Inability to Appear Form is required through the County Clerk's Office. Federal inmates also need approval from the U.S. Marshals.

The ceremony takes place in a non-contact visiting booth during normal visiting hours. Couples cannot exchange rings or other personal property, and flowers, cameras, and recording devices are prohibited. Guests must meet identification and screening requirements. Review the wedding section of the Santa Rita Jail visiting rules before arranging the ceremony; the jail may cancel it for security reasons or failure to follow the procedures.

Can professional visitors give an inmate documents?

Professional interviewers who want an inmate to keep written documents must notify jail staff when scheduling the contact visit. Staff will review the documents and may allow the inmate to retain them if they are acceptable. Do not pass documents directly to the inmate. Paper clips, staples, metal fasteners, and other contraband can cause materials to be refused. Recording or photographic equipment requires prior permission from the on-duty Watch Commander.

What do employee complaint findings mean?

The Sheriff's Office complaint procedure explains four possible findings. “Unfounded” means the allegation had no factual basis or was disproved. “Not sustained” means investigators could neither prove nor disprove it. “Exonerated” means the reported action occurred but was permitted, was not prohibited, or was appropriate under the circumstances. “Sustained” means the investigation established that the conduct occurred and amounted to misconduct or improper job performance. These distinctions matter: a finding that an action occurred does not automatically mean the employee violated agency standards.